The Portland daily press., 1887-02-24
TYPHOID FEVER In ARoosrooK.

III laOlD WEN IN AKOOSTOOh.
The worst outbreak of typhoid fever in
the State for the year; and the one the most
interesting so far as the tracing of the in
lection is concerned, was at Van Buren,, in
Aroostook county. Charles Farrell, repre-
sentatiye-elect,wast the first victim of the dis
ease Secretary Young arrived on the 25th
inst. There had been nineteen cases of the
fever at that time; after that time there
were but five. OF the condition of this
fever-stricken town, the report says that a
short distance from the village there was a
spring from which almost all the village OBJ
tanned the drinking water, including fifty
or sixty hands who worked in a neighboring
mill. Except the hotel and one other house,
which were supplied by an aqueduct. the
village used this spring. There was nothing
but this spring that could be regarded as a
common source of contagion. Additional
circumstances which cast reflection on this
spring are enumerated as follows by the re-
| port:
The village rests upon shallow soil be-
meath which, at the depth of only foot or
stratum of clay.I.Thfs popularity of soii:and
sub-soll, was told, extends over all this
part OF the.vlllage and to the river. Below
the village there extends somewhat diago-
nally through a meadow little swale or
''run," in which there is found no water In
the dry season, but which is filed by every
shower and pours its surplus wash into the
outlet of the spring at the distance of per-
haps 20 feet below the spring itself Just
below the junction of the run and the
little brook from the spring there is an old
dam which was built some years ago to
supply water for steam engine. This
dam is only two or three rods from
the spring and. there is but very
consequently every time a shower occurs the
wash flows back into the spring This
run takes the wash from the principal
part of the village, including the hotel stable
and its pile of manure, which are in the low
Bowdoin College, analysed a sample of this
water and said: 1T is badly contaminated
with animal matter-is in short, the worst
water have examined for some time 1t
is also probable that the spring got drainage
from house where one of the first cases of
fever occurred. Of eighteen people who had
the fever in Van Buren,, all but four are
known to have been users. of the water of
this spring.
OTHER MATTERS.
The report also includes histories of ty-
phoid fever in Fairfield, Burnham and other
towns, with very interesting diagram il
Illustrating sanitary conditions which result
ed in the sickness of a household. The nui-
sance in Deering (Capisic Pond, certain
nuisances in Norway and visits to other
towns are spoken of at considerable
length.
Three circulars have been issued during
the year en- the Treatment of the Drowned"
Contagious diseases of animals and an alb
stract of the health laws of the State. These
were for general distribution.
Already library has been started with
books acquired through exchange with other
state boards and the national board. Many
very valuable foreign publications have been
purchased. OF this collection Of books the
most interesting are those relating to school
houses Dr. Young has been at great pains
to collect all the books and pamphlets he can
in regard to school houses, with a view to
publishing an extended treatise on the sub
ject in the third or next annual report. 1t is
not known that more than two states in the
Union, Wisconsin and Kentucky, have done
ANYTHING to improve their school houses by
the publication of books relating to school
house architecture. Ontario and New Bruins
wick have both given attention to the sub
ject and their works are in the collection at
Augusta. In foreign countries much more
attention has been given to the school